The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-10-09


the dead. And thus he opened
the way by throwing open the prison
doors 10 them that were bound, that as
many as received the gospel and lived
according to goodness in the spirit,
unto that class of spirits there will be
advancement. They will be exalted to
higher plane and exalted to labor in a
higher sphere to prepare Tor the resQr-
rection of the dead.
Joseph Smith has received these
keys and commenced the work
in this dispensatioD; commenced the
work of erection of temples
and baptismal fonts in which those
sacred ordinances could be attended.
working for and in behalf of their dead.
And before he died he committed to his
fellow laborers-the Apostles all the
keys which had been given unto him,
pertaining to the fulDess of times, in
Guiding the keys of Moses to gather the
house of Israel, and the keys of Elijah
for the work of the dead; and all other
KEYS and ordinances which had been
co 81 mitted into him. Said ne to thu
Apostles: Now | have a tended 10 what
the Lord requires of me and | now
commit all he has given me and roll
the laoor of this kingdom onto your
shoulders; for the Lord is going to give
N a rest" True. We did not at that
time understand all these prophe ic
sayings; but shortly alter his martyr
dom we began to comprehend them.
The work of the dead devoIves upon
the twelve and those elders who are re-
manning in the flesh, while hels per
mite d to rest fr. m this class OF fabors.
but has gone behind the vail to work
organize, and set up the kingdom
in his spiritual labors and 10
reach to the spirits in prison and
to inspire them with the same glorious
hope and faith of turning their mind ;
and hearts towards their children that
dwell upon the earth. looking unto
them for the performance of those
ordinances and outward works which
ar; necessary to prepare them for their
deliverance from prison and make them
ready for the resurrection.
Here | refer to vision that one of
our brethren had received not long
since, and which have heard dim re-
late a number of times. he was going
into the spirit world, met there
number of apostles and many
elders of Israel. How With joy he
did meet them, and he asked
about Brother Joseph and Brother
Hyrum. He was told they were very
busily engaged in prep .ring the
way for he resurrec ION. All
things" it is said IN the Scr pit
ures, ARE governed by law" auu rae
house of God is a house of order" and
not o. confusion. aud the uecraes and
appointment will be fulfilled and
carried out in their times, In their
seasons and il: their order. And they
who are Christie will have their time
to rise as they are sancnfed by
the Holy Ghost. Inasmuch "a
there are ordinances by which our
kindred de may be raised. those bear
ing the priesthood are the ones who
" II be responsible for their dead. And
hose who have passed beyond the vale
are not d 9 1t is Impossible for intel
'rgence ne inactive; on it is written
In st. JONAS: "Birss d are the dead
that die III the LORD, Tor tn y shall rest
from their laborI and their works do
follow them" Here | may say the
doctrine that l have always held
that rest is simply change
in , tivitv can hardly be said to be rest.
The horsemRn who manages we'll IN,
am rests Them III going over the even
ground. walsing, trotting and giving
them little change OF galU, and 80 they
rest from une class of iaoor to another
rest from walking TO Irntting, resting
one class of muscles while the other
classes are III requisItion SO. al>o, with
the body and spirit Joseph Smith said
hat the faithful elders of Israel when
their l8hors in the flesh ae com
pleted, then they rest from those lsbOrs
tney leave ueniud. while their spirit
are still active upOn another class of
labor in the spirit world. They rest
fr m earthly labOrs and pursue splritIa.
lahors which will quality them to 10 Oh
to higher grees OF glory and sore IN
iottier regions ui int liIgs nee
l have thus i'll short endeaVoTed 10
present before the people, not q new
doctrine to them; but unto many Of
the Using generation these pas
ages of scripture may not be.
understood. Their mf as cannct be
IuIuI,ar vi b bese r. Hsor> upon which
the work of the dead is founded. upon
the principles which our faith Is
founded in relation to the WORK for
the redemption of the dead. there
fore bring :hese thoughts home to the
minds OF tn rising generation. -
well as the more aged aud po s,bly the
strangers in our midst who are
uninfOrmed, and to whom this
doctrine is msrvelousiy strange;
this strange doctrine, this vicarious
doctrine in behalf o the dead. but per-
formed by those now living. Many
think this to. ee pTepOst rOus anu
supers;itious doctrines doctrine not
well founded, TO their mind, or incon-
sistent with their reasoning il that one
can do the work and in behalf of an
other; but with little more reflection
and expanding of the mind in cOntem.
plating these subjects, we find that the
whole work for the salvation of the
dead is vicariOus doctrine. The living
and the dead cooperating together, and
there is something being performed by
one class tor and In behalf OF another
all the time.
In the first riHcs the Father sent his
son 10 The world to make atODement for
the sins thereof, offered himself 81
a sacrifice for men, that SIS in Adam
all men ole, 80 in Jesus Christ are all
men made alive" This is nothing
more than vicsrious work for the re-
iemption of the whole human family,
or as many rs h4lIeve IL the work per
formed by the Son of God IN their be
halfr and when he came TO John 90
be baptized OF him in the river
Jordan, John recognized him in his
true character as stainless and sinless,
ana was at first shocked ut the idea Of